Telescopic umbrella.



W. J. SGHLAFKE. TELESCOPE UMBRELLA. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1911.

1,044,823. Patented Nov. 19,1912.

\IOLUMBIA PLANUGRAPI] CO .\\'A5HINGTON. u. c.

TlNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

WILLIAM J. SCI-ILAFKE, 0F AUBURNDALE, WISCONSIN.

TELESCOPIC UMBRELLA.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J.

SCHLAFKE, citizen of the United'States, re-

This invention has relation to telescopic umbrellas, and has for its object to provide an umbrella which may be readily collapsed in compact form in order that it may be readily and conveniently packed in a valise trunk or other receptacle.

Vith this object in view the umbrella includesa rod having a section hingedly attached thereto, with a handle section detachably mounted upon the said hinged section and adapted to receive the lower portion of the main section of the rod, whereby the main section and handle section of the rod are held in alinement when the umbrella is in set up or extended condition. The ribs are made up of telescopic sect-ions, the outer portions of the ribs being so arranged as to slide upon the inner portions,

means being provided for locking the rib sections when in extended relation. The inner sections of the ribs are hingedly attached to the rod in the usual manner, and

a sleeve is slidably mounted upon the rod,

and braces are pivotally connected at their j lower ends to the said sleeve and are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the outer sections of the ribs in the vicinity of the inner ends thereof.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional. view of the um brella; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of one of the ribs of the umbrella; Fig- 3 is a perspective view of the same; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the umbrella rod with adjacent parts; Fig. 5 is a similar view at a right angle to the view shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the end portion of the rod and attached parts.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and inclicatecl in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The umbrella consists of a rod 1 which is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1911.

Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

Serial No. 627,459.

provided in the vicinity of its lower end with a shoulder 2 below which the said rod is reduced in diameter, as at 3. The reduced portion 3 is provided with a transverse kerf & in which is pivoted one end of a link 5. A rod section 6 is provided with a kerf 7 in which is pivoted the other end of the link 5. The rod section 6 is of the same diameter as the reduced portion 3 of the rod section 1, and when the link 5 is swung so that it is in longitudinal alinementwith the rod section 1 the upper end of the rod section 6 is in close contact with the lower end of the reduced portion 3 of the rod section 1. The rod section 6 is provided at its lower end with a transverse kerf 8 and the said section is provided in the vicinity of its lower end and upon one of its sides only with an outstanding stud 9. The rod section 1 is provided at an intermediate point with a spring actuated supporting catch 10 of usual pattern.

The handlesection 11 is tubular at its upper end and is adapted to receive the section 6 and the reduced portion 3 of the rod section 1 when these parts are in longitudinal alinement. To insert the section 6, the lower portions of its extremity are squeezed together so that the stud 9 may enter the up per portion of the handle section 11. The said section 6 is forced down into the handle section 11 until the stud 9 arrives opposite an opening 12 provided in the section 11, when the extremities of the rod 6 will spread and the stud 9 will be forced into the opening 12. Thus the handle section 11 is securely held in position with relation to the rod section 1, and when in such posit-ion the upper end of the handle section 11 fits close against the shoulder 2 with which the said section 1 is provided. The opening 12 eX- tends all the way from the outer side of the handle section 11 to the opening provided in the interior thereof, and therefore when it is desired to separate the handle section 11 from the rod section 1, an implement of small diameter is pressed down against the end of the stud 9 which forces the said stud inwardly out of the opening 12, and when this occurs the handle section may be pulled away from the rod section 1 and 0E of the rod section 6. After the handle has been removed as indicated the rod section 6 may be folded up against the lower end portion of the rod section 1,, the pivoted. link 5 permitting such folding. The handle section 11 is provided with a spring actuated retaining catch 13 of usual form.

A band 141 is fixed to the upper end portion of the rod section 6 and the upper inner ends of rib sections 15 are pivotally connected with the said band in the usual manner. The rib sections 15 are formed from sheet metal folded longitudinally in the usual manner and are approximately U- shaped in transverse section. The side edge portions of each rib 15 are cut away leaving an intermediate portion 15' which is of such configuration that it may be sprung or flexed with relation to the body of the section 15. At its outer end the portion 15 is flattened laterally as at 16' and at the upper edge and outer end of this flattened portion an upstanding tongue 16 is formed. Rib sections 17 are slidably mounted upon the rib sections 15 and the said sections 17 are also formed from sheet metal and are bent over the outer sides of the sections 15. The sections 17 are provided with inwardly and upwardly disposed spaced flanges 18 which lie against the inner surfaces of the side portions of the rib sections 15. The rib sections 17 are provided in the vicinity of their inner ends with slots 19 into which the tongues 16 of the sections 15 are adapted to spring when the rib sections 17 are extended with relation to the sections 15, and thus means is provided for rigidly holding the said rib sections in extended positions with relation to each other. When it is desired to collapse or telescope the outer sections 17 along the inner sections 15, the tongues 16 are depressed until their outer ends are below the edges of the slots 19 when the outer sections 17 may be readily slid along the inner sections 15. At this time the lower part of the flattened portion 16 will lie in the space between the flanges 18 and the said flanges serve as guides for holding the tongue 16 in the same vertical plane as that in which the long dimension of the slot 19 lies. By this arrangement lateral play or looseness between the parts is effectually prevented, and the coupling material is strengthened and reinforced as will be obvious. Accidental displacement between the parts is also effectually prevented by this arrangement as the parts can be separated only by forcing them into relative positions which they never would assume when in use.

A sleeve 20 (of usual pattern) is slidably mounted upon the rod section 1, and when the rib sections 17 are in extended positions with relation to the sections 15, this sleeve may slide down along the handle section 11 and engage the retaining catch 13 in the usual manner. Also the said sleeve 20 may be slid upwardly along the rod section 1 and engaged at its lower edge by the supporting catch 10 in the usual manner: Braces 21 (of usual pattern) are pivoted at their lower ends to the sleeve 20 and at their upper ends to the upper portions of the rib sections 17. A cover 22 is mounted upon the ribs and the said cover is connected at its center with the band 14 or the upper portion of the rod section 1 in the usual manner, and the outer parts of the said cover tacked to the outer rib sections 17 at suitable points, but no parts of the cover are permanently fixed with relation to the inner rib sections 15.

Presuming that the parts are in tele scoped or collapsed positions, and it is desired to extend the same, the rod section 6 is swung into alinement with the rod section 1, as hereinbefore described, and the handle section 11 is applied to the sections 6 and 1. The sleeve 20 is then slid down along the sections 1 and 11 and braces 21 pull the rib sections 17 down along the rib sections 15. When the slots 19 arrive over the tongues 16 the said tongues spring into the same, and thus the sections of the ribs become fixed with relation to each other and the cover 22 is extended along the said ribs. The sleeve 20 is then slid up along the handle section 11 and rod section 1 and the braces 21 swing the lower ends of the ribs out away from the rod until the sleeve 20 passes above the supporting catch 10 at which time the cover 22 is spread and the umbrella is opened.

To collapse the umbrella the operation above described is reversed, and when the handle section 11 has been detached from the rod section 1 and the rod section 6 is folded in against the section 1 the said handle section may be placed against the side of the upper portion of the umbrella, when the parts are in compact form and may be readily placed in a valise or trunk of average dimensions for transportation purposes.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In an umbrella, a rib comprising an outer rib section U-shaped transversely with the edges directed inwardly and spaced apart and extending in parallel re; lations, said outer rib section having an aperture spaced from its inner end, an inner rib section U-shaped transversely and telescopically engaging the outer rib section, the outer terminal of said inner rib section being reduced for slidable engagement be tween the inturned edges of the outer rib section and the sides cut away next the reduced portion to receive the inwardly directed edges of the outer rib section toprevent lateral play between the parts and to strengthen the coupling whenthe parts are in distended position, and a stop lug carried by the reduced terminal of the inner rib section for engaging-in the aperture of the inner rib section and preventing the accidental uncoupling of the parts.

2. In an umbrella, a rib comprising an outer rib section U-shaped transversely with the edges directed inwardly and spaced apart and extending in parallel relations, said outer rib section having an aperture spaced from its inner end, an inner rib section U-shaped transversely and telescopically engaging within the outer rib section, the inner terminal of said inner rib section being reduced for sida-ble engagement between the inturned edges of the outer rib section, and a stop lug upon the reduced terminal of the outer rib section for engaging in the aperture of the inner rib section.

In testimony whereof, I itfliX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM J. SUHLAFKE. [L. s.] Witnesses:

GEO. H. BAUER, Jos. BAIERL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

